The world of marketing has changed dramatically in recent years. When once buyers would look for catalogues, TV ads and word of mouth to find what they were looking for, people today are far more proactive in their search. Everyone has access to the internet and all it has to offer. As a result, marketing has transformed and adapted to deal with the changing environment.
As a result of the ease with which buyers can access information about a product or business today, the customer journey has dramatically changed. They no longer need to reach out to a business in the same way to find the answer to their queries, which means the roles of the marketing and sales teams have become increasingly blurred.
In the past the education, demonstration and relationship building would have been the job of the sales department. This is partly because browsing was done far more regularly in person in physical shops rather than on virtual platforms, so there was far more interaction between customer and business. Now that this is all done in a self-service fashion by customers browsing online, it has fallen on the laps of marketers to build relationships with potential customers before they have even made contact with the business.
Marcus Sheridan, an idol for us here at YouMore, calls marketing the “sales rep that never sleeps”. The transformation this sector has gone through as a result of the digital revolution has placed a greater emphasis on marketing as a way of driving sales.
Marketing has transformed from being about brand awareness and advertising to educating, building relationships, maximising engagement, adding valuable content and – in essence – increasing sales. Gone are the days where marketing centred around advertising and producing eye-catching content to draw potential buyers in, when they would then be passed on to the sales department to complete the sale. Today marketers still need to capture the attention of potential clients, but they’re also responsible for keeping them engaged, answering their queries through educational content, and putting them in a position to buy. With the autonomy that buyers have now you’ll find that their mind will be more or less made up by the time they get in contact [LINK?], so the hard part of the sale is done prior to ever meeting.
On the face of it, the changing landscape could make it seem like businesses have less power to influence the decision of a potential buyer. “If they aren’t interacting with our sales team, how can we convince them?” is a common thought. But the scope and ability of marketing means businesses can in fact have more influence than ever.
The key is making engaging, educational content that builds trust. We believe that people buy from businesses they trust, so your content should focus on doing just this by answering questions and concerns, showing your expertise and being honest and authentic.
As well as this, trust is built upon other factors like the quality of your website. Not only should your website be full of useful, informative content; it should also be well structured and easy to navigate. Given that your website will be the place where a large proportion of potential buyers first encounter your business it’s vital to make a good first impression!
Of course, there are still aspects that remain concerning interaction between yourself and those enquiring into your products and services. Your customer service, the speed and effectiveness with which you respond to queries, and generally how you come across to clients is a huge selling point of your business. But, like I said earlier, much of the buying decision will already be made by the time they get in touch, so it’s vital that you start building that relationship early on in a customer’s journey!
So remember to adapt to the changing environment and keep your business up to speed with the most current sales methods. As technology keeps advancing and consumers continue to become more and more informed about their buying decision the way in which businesses will need to promote themselves will change with it. Make sure you don’t get left behind!